Note 1 - Nature of Operations

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2022

Notes to Financial Statements

Nature of Operations [Text Block]

(1) NATURE OF OPERATIONS

We are a global supplier of innovative test and process solutions for use in manufacturing and testing across a wide range of markets including automotive, defense/aerospace, industrial, life sciences, security and semiconductor. During the year ended December 31, 2021, we managed our business as two operating segments which were also our reportable segments and reporting units: Thermal Products ("Thermal") and Electromechanical Solutions ("EMS"). As discussed further in Note 16, effective January 1, 2022, we reorganized our operating segments. Accordingly, for 2022, we have three operating segments which are also our reportable segments and reporting units: Electronic Test, Environmental Technologies and Process Technologies. Prior period information has been reclassified to be comparable to the current period’s presentation.

The consolidated entity is comprised of inTEST Corporation and our wholly-owned subsidiaries. We manufacture our products in the U.S., Canada and the Netherlands. Marketing and support activities are conducted worldwide from our facilities in the U.S., Canada, Germany, Singapore, the Netherlands and the U.K. We operate our business worldwide and sell our products both domestically and internationally.

All of our operating segments have multiple products that we design, manufacture and market to our customers. Due to a number of factors, our products have varying levels of gross margin. The mix of products we sell in any period is ultimately determined by our customers' needs. Therefore, the mix of products sold in any given period can change significantly from the prior period. In addition, we sell our products to a variety of different types of customers with varying levels of discounts and commission expense. As a result of changes in both the mix of products sold as well as customer mix in any given period, our consolidated gross margin can vary significantly from period to period.

The semiconductor market (“semi” or the “semi market”) which includes both the broader semiconductor market, as well as the more specialized automated test equipment (“ATE”) and wafer processing sectors within the broader semiconductor market, has historically been the largest single market in which we operate. The semi market is characterized by rapid technological change, competitive pricing pressures and cyclical as well as seasonal market patterns. The semi market is also subject to periods of significant expansion or contraction in demand. In addition to the semi market, we sell into a variety of other markets. Our intention is to continue diversifying our markets, our product offerings within the markets we serve and our customer base across all of our markets with the goal of reducing our dependence on any one market, product or customer. In particular, we are seeking to reduce the impact of volatility in the semi market on our results of operations.

Our Electronic Test segment sells its products to semiconductor manufacturers and third-party test and assembly houses (end user sales) and to ATE manufacturers (original equipment manufacturer (“OEM”) sales), who ultimately resell our equipment with theirs to both semiconductor manufacturers and third-party test and assembly houses. These sales all fall within the ATE sector of the semi market. With the acquisition of Acculogic in December 2021, our Electronic Test segment also sells its products to customers in markets outside the semi market including the automotive, defense/aerospace, industrial and life sciences markets. Our Environmental Technologies segment sells its products to end users and OEMs within the ATE sector of the semi market. It also sells its products to customers in a variety of other markets other than the semi market, including the automotive, defense/aerospace, industrial and life sciences markets. Our Process Technologies segment sells its products to customers in the wafer processing sector within the semi market. It also sells its products to customers in a variety of other markets other than the semi market, including the automotive, defense/aerospace, industrial, life sciences and security markets.

Our financial results are affected by a wide variety of factors, including, but not limited to, general economic conditions worldwide and in the markets in which we operate, economic conditions specific to the semi market and the other markets we serve, downward pricing pressures from customers, our reliance on a relatively few number of customers for a significant portion of our sales and our ability to safeguard patented technology and intellectual property in a rapidly evolving market. In addition, we are exposed to the risk of obsolescence of our inventory depending on the mix of future business and technological changes within the markets that we serve. Part of our strategy for growth includes potential acquisitions that may cause us to incur substantial expense in reviewing and evaluating potential transactions. We may or may not be successful in locating suitable businesses to acquire and in closing acquisitions of businesses we pursue. In addition, we may not be able to successfully integrate any business we do acquire with our existing business and we may not be able to operate the acquired business profitably. As a result of these or other factors, we may experience significant period-to-period fluctuations in future operating results.

COVID-19 Pandemic

With respect to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are following the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) and the local regulatory authorities in regions outside the U.S. While in most cases we are no longer requiring employees to wear masks indoors in our domestic locations, we continue to closely monitor the case numbers in individual facilities and have temporarily reinstituted mask requirements when we have deemed it prudent to do so. We are encouraging all employees to receive COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters, if possible. We are continuing to conduct temperature screenings and encouraging all employees to maintain social distancing when appropriate. We are also continuing to allow employees to work remotely either part-time or full-time in circumstances when possible. During April 2022, an increase in COVID-19 cases at one of our facilities resulted in a loss of production time. Additionally, the shutdowns in China required us to find alternate plans for delivery of our products to the country. Although we were able to take actions to lessen the impact of these events on our business, if the spread of COVID-19 or its variants continues to worsen, we may experience additional lost production time or further interruption in our ability to ship our products to our customers. In addition, if one or more of our significant customers or suppliers is impacted, or if significant additional governmental regulations and restrictions are imposed, our business could be negatively impacted in the future. We continue to monitor the situation closely and will adjust our operations as necessary to protect the health and well-being of our employees and to minimize the impact on our business operations. To the extent that further governmental mandates or restrictions are implemented in the future, we currently expect to be able to continue to operate our business in a manner similar to how we have operated over the past two years.